Formillion.



H. M. DARMSTADTER. FOBMILLION.

APILIOATION FILED pm. 16, 1911.

Patented July 7, 19m

3 SHEETS SHEBT 1.

I H. M. DARMSTADTER.

FORMILLION.

APPLIOATION FILED'DEO. 16, 1911.

1,102,729. Patented July 7, 1914.

3 SHEBTS-SHBET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHOTOJ-ITHG. WASHINGTON. D. C.

H. M. DARMSTADTER.

FORMILLION.

APPLIUATION FILED DBO. 1a, 1911.

1,102,729., Patented July 7,1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

' lllllll Iwez-di/w THE NORRIS PETERS 00., PHOTO-LITHCL, WASHINGTON. D4 Cv HERBERT 1VI. DARMSTADTEBQ OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FORMILLION.

Application filed December 16, 1911.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HERBERT M. DARM- STADTER, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Formillions;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a novel construction in what is known as a formillion, an apparatus employed for shaping hats to fit the head, the object being to provide a simple, durable and eflicient device of this character which can be easily and readily adjusted and locked in its adjusted position, and consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a formillion constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2- is a central vertical longitudinal section of the same on the line 22 of Fig.- l-. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail vertical longitudinal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. -'1 is a fragmentary detail vertical sectional view on the line 4:- of Fig. 1. Fig. -5 is a detail perspective view of one of the plunger heads.

The present invention consists in details of construction of the device whereby certain advantages are obtained which will appear more particularly from the follow-' ing specification.

The invention comprises an elliptical frame 1 consisting preferably of an inverted channel shaped elliptical ring upon which there is mounted at preferably four points, posts 2 secured thereto in a well-known manner by means of the threaded shanks of said posts and the nuts 3 engaging the same, said posts being threaded at their upper ends and engaging in the threaded openings in the thick end portions of channels 1. The latter are disposed parallel with each other at diametrically opposite sides of the frame 1 and in the parallel vertical flanges 5 thereof there are mounted Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 191 1.

Serial No. 666,194.

shafts 6 upon which bell-crank levers 7 are rotatably mounted, one pair of said levers 7 .being mounted on each of said shafts 6 and two of the latter carried by each of said channeled members 1. The bell-crank levers 7 of each pair are connected together by means of a cross-bar 8 integral therewith and each pair of said levers 7 is connected together by means of a link 9. One lever 7 of one pair disposed in said respective channeled members a is extended to provide an arm 10 by means of which the two pairs of levers 7 disposed between the flanges 5 of one of said members 41 are simultaneously turned on their axes. The said arms or levers 10 are in turn connected together by means of a cross-bar 11 so that by a single movement of said bar 11 all of the bellcrank levers of both channeled members 4 are simultaneously turned. The shafts 6 pass through the elbow portions of said respective pairs of lovers 7 and in the other arms of each pair of said levers there is mounted a shaft 12 carrying a roller 13 which is adapted to bear upon a channeled ring 14. coinciding in shape and size with the ring 1 and disposed parallel with and above the same. In the channel of the ring .1 1 there is contained a gasket 15 of rubber or other suitable relatively soft frictional material between the lower face of which and the upper face of the ring 1 the shanks 16 of the heads 17 are clamped, the pressing of the band portion of the hat beingeffected by means of a hat iron which exerts pressure upon the said heads 17. Supported upon the said ring 1 and disposed around the respective posts 2 are helical compression springs 18 which bear upon the lower face of the web of the ring 14 and yieldingly support the latter. The rollers 13 on the bellcrank lovers 7 bear upon the upper face of the ring 1 1 and serve, when the lever 10 is disposed in the position shown in full lines in Fig. -2, to depress the said ring 14. against the action of the springs 18 to compress the gasket 15 upon the upper edges of the shanks 16 of said heads 17 Mounted upon the upper face of the ring 1 at substantially regular intervals over the entire circumference thereof are substantially radially disposed plates or ribs 19 each of which enters a slot 16 in the lower end wall of the shank 16 0f one'of said heads 17 to guide the same, the said shanks 16be-H ing thus substantially radially disposed relatively to the center of the ellipse bordered by said ring 1. The said heads 17:

and their shanks 16 are preferably made of sheet metal by stamping or otherwise forming the same, though, obviously, they may be made of any other suitable material such as cast metal, wood and the like. The heads 17 are substantially rectangular in horizontal section having rounded outer faces and fiat inner faces. The outer faces of said heads are also-tapered so that said heads are of greater'depth radially of the ellipse at their lower than at their upper ends, the

upper corners of said outer faces being further curved sharply inwardly to meet the upper edges or faces thereof. The shanks 16 of said heads extend from the lower end portion of the inner fiat face thereof midway between the side faces or walls of the,

same, and each thereof is provided with parallel side walls and faces while the upper and lower edges and faces thereof are inclined relatively to each other, that is, the

14 and may be adjusted to any desired posi-' tion between the limits of movement thereof and when so adjusted may be held firmly in such position by forcing the ring 14 down against the action of the springs 18 thus clamping each of said shanks 16 between the gasket 15 and the upper face ofthe ring 14., The said rollers 13' when brought down to the position shown in Fig. 2- exert a considerable pressure upon the ring and as the latter is made relatively light the portions thereof contiguous to the rollersli; will bear more firmly upon the upper faces of the shanks 16 than those parts of the ring 14 which are farther removed from said rollers. The pressure exerted by the ring 14 will obviously become lightest at the points therein contiguous to the ends of the longest diameter of said ring and to equalize this pressure as far as possible with the pressure exerted contiguous to the rollers 13 the said ring '14 is reinforced at the ends contiguous to the longest diameter thereof by means of inverted T-shaped bars 19" mounted thereon and extending transversely to the channeled members 4. The latter have their webs cut away at two points lee-- tween their ends topermit the arms of the 5 having a convex upper face conforming generally to the shape of the plane of the lower end of any so-called derby or other stiff rim hats. In. the latter event, that is,

When the device is intended to be'us'ed on a block 21 having a convex upper face the rings 1 and 14 are bent in a plane conforming to the plane of the upper face of the block. It is believed unnecessary to particularly illustrate such curvature of the rings as this does not in any manner affect the relative positions thereof or of other parts of the device, or in any manner affect the operation thereof.

Upon the block 21 in the middle or center thereof there is mounted a smaller elliptical block 22 from which two pins 23 project has been previously disposed in a. conformator and thereby perforated in a wellknown manner. Such a 'confo'rmator'for perforating cards is .fully described and illustrated in my co-pending application filed August 17, 1911, Serial No. 644,561.

which are adapted to receive a card which Y This card after being removed fromthe conformator is out along the line of perforations therein'either slightly outwardly of thelatter or on the imaginary lin'eof perforationsor slightly inwardly thereof according to the wishes of the person. 111-.

tended to wear the hat treated, that 'is to say, if thefuture wearer desires-thei hat to fit loosely the card is trimmed so as to.

leave a little material outwardly of the perfor-ationsrand if he desires a very snug fit it is trimmed on the line of the perforations.

The pins 23- are disposed exactly the same distance apart as similar pins in the eon- V formator upon which the card is primarily mounted and perforated. The trimmed card is then placed upon the block 22sethat the pins 23 engage in the holes therein previously made by the pinsof the conformator, and the several heads 17 with their shanks 16 are then moved inwardly (while the arms 10 of the bell-crank levers are in the osition shown in, dotted lines in Fig. 2- until the inner ends of the shanks 16 contact with the peripheral edge 'of the card mounted on the block 22 and after all of the same have been properly adjusted to such position the arms 10 are moved down to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, thus frictionally securing the several heads 17 with their shanks 16 in the position to which they have been adjusted. The said block 21 is also provided with two or more dowels 24 which engage in openings in the cross ribs 25 in the channels of the ring 1 thus accurately positioning the formillion on said block previously to inserting the card upon the pins 23. After the heads 17 have been adjusted as described relatively to the trimmed card and secured in uch adjusted positions, the hat to be treated is placed or forced upon the device so that the outer faces of the heads 17 contact with the sweat band of the hat. By the application of heat or steam the stiffening in the hat is softened and the band portion of the hat is then pressed with the hot iron and thereupon will retain the shape to which it has been adjusted by the insertion of the heads 17 within the same.

The operation of the device is substantially the same as other formillions heretofore marketed, the improvements residing mor particularly in the taper and general form of the shank 16 and in the provision of mean whereby all of said shanks 16 are simultaneously locked against movement relatively to the rings 1 and 14 whereby a great deal of annoyance due to movement of said heads 17 out'of their adjusted positions prior to their firm engagement between said rings is avoided and the work enabled to be more quickly done. The taper of the shanks 16 constitutes an essentially novel feature of the invention inasmuch as said 'taper practically prevents absolutely the further inward movement of the shanks 16, after the ring 14 has been forced down upon the same, by the pressure applied by the operator upon the heads 17, such inward movement of said shanks being due to a pressure of the hat iron or by the hat itself too great to be resisted by the card against which the inner ends of the shanks bear, and the usual degree of frictional engagement of said shanks between the elliptical rings. The shanks 16 of said heads 17 are relatively thin and as they are sometimes under considerable strain under which they are apt to spring and bend, they are strengthened and reinforced by means of longitudinal ribs on the sides thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the kind specified, comprising a base, an elliptical member mounted thereon, a plurality of guide posts projecting from the upper face of said member, a channeled elliptical member vertically movable on said posts, the channel thereof carrying a ring of yielding material projecting therefrom and opposing said first-named member, a frame rigidly supported upon the upper ends of said posts, a plurality of members pivotally mounted on said frame and adapted when turned in one direction to bear upon and depress said movable elliptical member relatively to said frame, a single manually operable lever for simultaneously actuating said members, a plurality of radially disposed vertical guide ribs on said first-named member, a plurality of radially movable heads coacting to provide a subchanneled elliptical member vertically movable on said posts, the channel thereof carrying a ring of yielding material projectin therefrom and opposing said first-name member, a frame rigidly supported upon the upper ends of said posts, a plurality of members pivotally mounted on said frame and adapted when turned in one direction to bear upon and depress said movable elliptical member relatively to said frame, a single manually operable lever for simultaneously actuating said members, a plurality of radially disposed vertical guide ribs on said first-named member, a plurality of radially movable heads coacting to provide a substantially vertical elliptical surface and provided with a shank projecting between said elliptical members, said shanks having converging upper and lower edges and each thereof'having a longitudinal slot in its lower face for receiving said guide ribs, said shanks adapted to be held against radial movement as said movable elliptical member is depressed, and said converging edges adapted to increase resistance of said heads to-inward movement relatively to said elliptical members.

3. In a device of the kind specified, the combination with a plurality of adjustable heads adapted to receive the hat for shaping the same, shanks thereon, a ring having ribs for guiding said shanks radially relatively thereto, posts on said ring, a second ring vertically movable on said posts, shanks projecting between said rings, springs normally supporting said last-named ring at the upper limit of its movement relatively to the first-named ring, a pair of parallel channels rigid with said posts, a plurality of levers pivotally mounted on the flanges of said channels and carrying rollers for hearing 'upon and depressing the movable ring When name in presence of tWo subscribing witsaid levers ai'e turned in one direction, and; nesses. i a, single operating'member connected With all of said levers for simultaneously turning 1 5 the same todepress said ring. upon the Witnesses:

shanks of said heads, M. BOYLE, In testimony whereof I have signed my F.'T. HIGLEY.

HERBERT M. DARMSTADTER,

flofiies ot this patent may be obtained-for five cents each, addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

